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“He’s highly regarded by everyone in the caucus,” added Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), a Pelosi ally. “He’s our point-person on the floor; he’s articulate; he’s very hard-working. And he’s worked closely with leader Pelosi, so we have a unified leadership team. We needed that even though the two of them had a contest in the past.”

With so much still up in the air for House Democrats, Hoyer continues to buttress his own credentials. He has raised or donated more than $9 milion to Democrats this cycle. He’s headlined 118 events for more than 70 Democratic challengers or incumbents.

In the run-up to Election Day, Hoyer will campaign throughout the Midwest, Florida, Texas, Iowa and Connecticut, and there might be even more events.

And as any reporter who covers Capitol Hill will tell you, Hoyer and the rest of House Democratic leaders have been unceasing in pushing their Make It in America agenda throughout this Congress, a top Hoyer priority.

The program consists of a series of Democrat-authored bills and proposals designed to boost U.S. manufacturers. Despite their minority status in the House, Democrats have had some success enacting their proposals.

Beyond Hoyer, the picture of how a Pelosi departure would play out is unclear.

South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat and top African-American in Congress, would move up to minority whip under this scenario. California Rep. Xavier Becerra is expected to become Democratic Caucus chairman no matter what happens on Election Day. Connecticut Rep. John Larson, chairman of the caucus, is term-limited and giving up the job.

Several members, including Reps. Joe Crowley of New York, Jared Polis of Colorado and Barbara Lee of California, are eyeing the caucus vice chairman post.

And New York Rep. Steve Israel, a Pelosi confidant, will have to decide whether he wants to try for another term as head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee regardless of whether she stays.

But even as they game out a Hoyer or Pelosi future, Democrats are also confronting a longer-term issue: their lack of up-and-coming younger leaders.

There are serious questions surrounding the future of both Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. These questions are not so much driven by the two lawmakers themselves but, rather, they — representing a generation of leaders younger than the Pelosi-Hoyer-Clyburn troika — don’t control their own fates in the Democratic Caucus at this time.

Wasserman Schultz, who is serving as Democratic National Committee chairwoman, has strong support among her colleagues, national exposure via the presidential race and a strong fundraising network. In a Hoyer-run world, she would be expected to have a seat at the Democratic leadership table, although which one is unclear. Clyburn moving up to whip would allow Wasserman Schultz to become the so-called assistant Democratic leader, the post Clyburn holds.

Yet Wasserman Schultz could be offered a post in the Obama administration if he wins a second term or even consider a statewide run in Florida, according to some Democrats.

Van Hollen, ranking member of the Budget Committee, will have something of a “two white guys from Maryland” problem if Hoyer becomes Democratic leader.

Van Hollen, a two-term chairman of the DCCC, gets good grades from all members for his work on the Budget Committee, where he has sought to counter GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan.

Yet is unclear if Van Hollen has the base — or desire — to try to force his way into the Democratic leadership following a Pelosi departure and subsequent shake-up.

Van Hollen is also seen by many to hold statewide ambitions in Maryland, especially a potential Senate run down the line.

When House Democrats were wiped out in 2010, losing 63 seats and their short-lived majority.

LOL The Dems lost a majority that should have stood for a decade or more because of Pelosi and she is still in charge??? FYI the polls didn't predict that either. Politico says they won't regain the majority this time around?? No kidding and they will be lucky to pick up 4 seats with the MSM hammering the Congress since the Rep. took over and she still won't step down? Thank God for Nancy and I wish her continued success in holding on, she is the best thing to happen to Republican Congressmen in decades.

Two senile 70+ year olds running the DEMoncat House...good grief...wheres this party's future? Who wants to elect octogenarians to leadership. The dems are losing it. Get rid of BOTH of these losers. Lets get some fresh blood in leadership. You cant win the future with these clowns.

Despite how well they are doing in the Presidential and in many Senate races, the smartest thing that the Democrats could have done would have been to announce that in the spirit of changing the dynamic in Washington, the leadership in both houses (Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn in the House; Reid, Durbin, Schumer in the Senate) would step down (from leadership posts, not their seats) if President Obama is re-elected, encouraging the GOP to do the same.

Lots of Dem candidates would do much better if the specter of Pelosi and Reid weren't hanging over their heads. Hoyer and Durbin are good guys, but having them take over would imply continuity, which would be counter-productive. If the Dems did this, my bet is Dems would gain seats in the Senate and come close to challenging the House. Probably too late now.

Watching the Republican convention I was amazed and greatly impressed by the diversity of men and women up and coming in the party. Watching the Democrat's convention the question I had was: where are the young democrat leaders who represent the whole. They seemed too focused on their own particular groups such as minority - lots of "color" displayed by TV coverage, MSM and promoted by the campaign to show the glaring difference in the "mostly white" audience of their opponent. Other areas of most important to them are abortion rights, gays, illegals, Volt's, etc. I'm old school - having voted for JFK and mostly remaining in the party until now, it's time for me to look across the aisle ... my bank account is diminishing by the day, my kids are struggling to keep their jobs and the grandkids are trying to find a job. Not a pretty picture.

At least the old folks in power in the Democratic Party are smart enough to know it's not wise to divide the American people into splinter groups - something their leader in the white house could use as a lesson.

The House of Representatives is a joke. Pelosi is the queen joker. Every time she is interviewed my skin crawls. The people in her district must be brain-dead. 72 years old, do us a favor and take up the rocker. Hoyer should do the same thing. Congress will never change if we rely on the same OLD reps... . With these "career" politicians, we are on a road to destruction....

Some men just (still) have a problem with a powerful woman. The fact is, Pelosi retains her spot because she (still) has the ability to rake in the dough....and that is part of the job. As long as she delivers, she remains in a strong position to retain her job.

Could you imagine working day in and day out with Nancy Pelosi? Talk about mental punishment! Yet, Steny is so anxious to step up that he will do anything - anything to assume that power and ability to sell legislation. Corruption in the present Democrat Party is unequalled anywhere in our past!

If the Democrats were smart they would skip over both of them. Get some younger blood. Find someone who will move the party a little bit to the center. Most people I know think the Dem party has become more of a progressive party that would rather give illegals free health care than look out for the middle class. Because they are moving in the wrong direction it has opened up a window for the GOP to stay in the majority.

The sad fact is Nancy destroyed the Blue dogs. She did so willingly. As long as she's leader the blue dogs will struggle in districts that are center right. Hoyer has shown no real desire or effort to reshape the direction of the party. The leader needs to be a "bigger picture" person. Someone who has a vision of where the party should go.

If Obama wins a second term then any chances of Hoyer being speaker will be gone. The Dems will loose seats during the midterm election, the presidents party always does in the second term. But it'll be worse than that. Obama has shown no interest in changing course so the economic conditions will not change. With the Dem party not having anyone but Hillary to run in 2016 (who will not run) and the GOP having several strong people the future doesn't look good until maybe 2020 for the Dems to get back the House.

Hoyer's replacement of Pelosi cannot come a moment too soon. However effective she might be behind the scene, she is an ineffective communicator of the Democratic agenda. Republican's seem to have people out front that can make a manure pile smell like a bed of roses to a large portion of the American people. Pelosi, as well as Reid, couldn't sell heaters to Eskimos. I am not sure how well Hoyer would do at selling the Democratic agenda, part of the Speaker's job, but we already know that Pelosi is miserable at it. And Reid is the best cure for insomnia going. Democrats, in both cases, deserve better. Democrats need better.